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Whoever was in charge of pre-State of the State anti-activist chute design for the Executive Chamber deserves a golf clap, because the setup on the Empire State Plaza pretty much guarantees that elected officials and VIPs won’t have to interact with the hoi polloi carrying signs and chanting about the dangers of hydrofracking.

The eastern half of the plaza has been screened off by a passageway that’s accessible only to those with SOS credentials, which is further insulated by 10 feet of exhibits devoted to the glory of New York State and several of its most innovative businesses — such as, uh, AriZona Beverage.

Protesters, the vast majority opposed to fracking, have been penned behind barricades arranged at a right angle roughly from the food court to the main entrance to the ESP Convention Center; it bends west at that point. Also, one of the exhibitors near the northernmost end of the barrier is playing the saxophone, which further drowns out the chanting and makes everyone hate smooth jazz even more than they already do.

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